Dry aged beef "Bresaola"

[jminion]

I love this product.


the seasonings are largely North African. Understand that this recipe
will not give you the salami-like bresaola sold at Italian markets, but more of
an aged-beef product.

Bresaola

1 whole beef tenderloin, trimmed
2.5 T brown sugar
1 T black peppercorns, toasted and ground
0.5 t thyme
0.5 t ground ginger
0.5 t ground allspice
0.5 t mace
0.5 t corriander seeds, toasted and ground
0.25 t cumin seeds, toasted and ground
0.25 t ground cloves
3 cardamom seeds, crushed
6 dried tabasco chiles, toasted, seeded, and ground
4 t salt

Mix all ingredients except salt -- massage entire mixture into meat. Place
tenderloan on a rack above a sheet pan in the refrigerator -- do not cover.
Age meat in refrigerator 7 or 8 days, then rub salt onto tenderloin. Return to
refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Grill whole tenderloin only until very rare.
Allow to rest, carve thinly, then serve as sandwiches with yeast rolls, fresh
horseradish sauce, watercress, and red onion -- shave some Asiago, too, if
you'd like.

NOTES:
1. You can use 3 dried cayenne chiles if you don't have tabascos, but the
tabascos add a smokiness, depth of flavor, and searing heat that cayennes
cannot match.
2. I sometimes add 0.25 t of toasted ground fenugreek seeds to the rub, but
just because I like the way it smells a little butterscotchy when it grills.
3. If you don't like your meat rare, I would recommend a different recipe.
4. Obviously, since this is an expensive cut of meat that will sit in your
refrigerator for over a week and then be eaten very rare, it is of the utmost
importance that your beef be hyperfresh, from a rebutable source, and
that your refrigerator be very cold.